Structured cross-channel packing element with reduced material requirement

Abstract

A structured cross-channel packing element for a column for at least one of mass transfer and heat exchange between a heavy fluid phase and a light fluid phase. The structured cross-channel packing element comprises at least two adjacent layers made of expanded metal sheets each comprising openings that are surrounded and separated from each other by separating elements. At least two of layers are arranged in a longitudinal direction parallel and in touching contact with each other such that an open space extending from one end to an opposite end of the layers is provided between the layers such that at least one of the heavy fluid phase and the light fluid phase may flow therethrough. A ratio between an average width of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent ones of the openings and a sheet material thickness is at least 15.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A structured cross-channel packing element for a column for at least one of mass transfer and heat exchange between a heavy fluid phase and a light fluid phase, the structured cross-channel packing element comprising:
 at least two adjacent layers made of expanded metal sheets each comprising openings that are surrounded and separated from each other by separating elements, 
 wherein at least two of the at least two layers are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element parallel and in touching contact with each other such that an open space extending from one end to an opposite end of the at least two layers is provided between the at least two layers such that at least one of the heavy fluid phase and the light fluid phase may flow therethrough, 
 wherein a ratio, between an average width of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent ones of the openings and a sheet material thickness, is at least 15, 
 wherein a ratio, between a maximum distance between at least two of the at least two layers measured in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element and the average width of the separating elements, is at least 4, 
 wherein a ratio, between a first distance between two of the openings in a direction perpendicular to a stretch direction adjacent to one of the separating elements and an average width of the one of the separating elements, for at least 50% of the separating elements, is 4 to 6, 
 wherein the first distance is measured by determining a distance between a first outermost point of one side of an edge of one of the openings in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction and a second outermost point of a same side of an edge of an adjacent one of the openings in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction, 
 wherein the longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element is a direction from a top to a bottom of the structured cross-channel packing element, 
 wherein the stretch direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element, and 
 wherein the average width of one of the separating elements is determined by dividing up the one of the separating elements into individual sections each having a section length (di), and for each of the individual sections a shortest distance (bi) between adjacent edges within the sections is measured and a sum of products (di)·(bi) is divided by a sum of shortest distances (di) to yield the average width of the one of the separating elements. 
 
     
     
       2. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least 50% of the at least two layers are made of expanded metal sheets and comprise periodic deformations, 
 wherein the at least two layers are oriented such that the periodic deformations of adjacent layers of the at least two layers intersect in crisscross fashion with the periodic deformations of the at least two layers extending obliquely relative to the longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element, 
 wherein each layer of the at least two layers contacts each of the adjacent layers at points of intersection between the periodic deformations of the layer and those of the adjacent layers, and 
 wherein the open space between the at least two layers is defined by the periodic deformations. 
 
     
     
       3. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein the ratio, between the first distance and the average width of at least 75% of the separating elements, ranges from 4 to 6. 
     
     
       4. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein for at least 50% of the openings, the first distance ranges from 5 to 20 mm. 
     
     
       5. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a ratio, between a second distance, between a first opening and a second opening of the openings in the stretch direction adjacent to each other, and the first distance, between the first opening and a third opening of the openings in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction adjacent to each other, is 0.4 to 0.7, 
 wherein the second distance is measured by determining a distance between an outermost point of a first side of an edge of the first opening in the stretch direction and an outermost point of a same side of an edge of the second opening that is adjacent in the stretch direction, and 
 wherein the first distance is measured by determining a distance between an outermost point of one side of the edge of the first opening in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction and an outermost point of a same side of the edge of the third opening in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction. 
 
     
     
       6. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 5 , wherein for at least 50% of the openings, the ratio between the second distance and the first distance is 0.4 to 0.7. 
     
     
       7. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 5 , wherein for at least 50% of the openings, the second distance is 2 to 8 mm. 
     
     
       8. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein the average width of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent ones of the openings is 1.5 to 4 mm. 
     
     
       9. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein a ratio, between the average width of at least one of the separating elements between adjacent ones of the openings and the sheet material thickness, is at least 18. 
     
     
       10. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein for at least 50% of the at least two layers, the ratio between the maximum distance measured in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the average width of the separating elements is 4 to 15. 
     
     
       11. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 , wherein for at least 50% of the at least two layers, a ratio, of a total area of the openings divided by a sheet area of one of the at least two layers, is between 20% and 38%. 
     
     
       12. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein at least 50% of the openings have a shorter characteristic length of 1 to 4 mm and a longer characteristic length of 2 to 8 mm, and 
 wherein the shorter characteristic length of one of the openings is a maximal dimension of the one of the openings in the stretch direction, and the longer characteristic length of the one of the openings is a maximal dimension of the one of the openings in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction. 
 
     
     
       13. The structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 12 , wherein for at least 50% of the openings, a ratio between the shorter characteristic length of one of the openings and the longer characteristic length of the one of the openings is 0.4 to 0.7. 
     
     
       14. A mass transfer column comprising at least one structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       15. A method comprising performing at least one of mass transfer and heat exchange using the structured cross-channel packing element according to  claim 1 .